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In the absence of a declared ipsissimus, this lowly one presumes to provide
another edition of the irregularly submitted alt.magick FAQ list...
What is this newsgroup about anyway?
This is a group which exists to discuss magickal theory, art, and
technology. (see definition of magick, below)
What is this newsgroup *not* about?
This newsgroup is not about specific religions (pagan, satanist
christian, new age, whatever). It is not about stage magic.
For info on the Necronomicon, ask Colin Low (cal@otter.hpl.hp.com)
for a "Necronomicon FAQ."
These topics have their own newsgroups, with the exception of
the necronomicon.
What kind of inquiry is appropriate here?
Try to be a little clueful, and we will try to be a little kind.
It's not an easy topic to broach, and I hope both the newbies and
the (*ahem* *cough*) old hands can get along here.
How do I even start to figure out what to say?
It is important to remember that many of us come from differing
backgrounds, so please do not assume that we have terms in common.
If people react to your posting, it is very likely on the grounds
of some semantic misunderstanding. Semantic misunderstandings beat
out cold fusion as a source of boundless cheap heat. Do your best,
and we will try to sort it out. Communication is an unending
miracle, which we renew every time we read something on the net.
None of us are perfect at it, so don't worry *too* much, and never
take anything personally if folks react to it. (Even if they tell
you so...) Anyone taking themselves too seriously here is missing
the point... Primary prereq for the group is a broad sense of
humor.
What is magick, and why do you use a 'k'?
Magick is any of a variety of life-practices which devote the
practitioner to self- and (thereby) environment-transformation.
Methods and schools of magick vary. This group discusses all
sorts of alchemy, kaballah, western ritual magick, renaissance
neoplatonism, eastern mysticism, neopagan magick, and occasionally
a bit of commentary on new age practice. The general viewpoint
here is to try for a dogma-free approach to magick, which precludes
a lot of religious discussion, although we draw religious and
mystical vocabulary in *all* the time, since we are too short
lived to reinvent all the symbols in the world. Personally,
I like to think of us as agnostic gnostics...
We spell it with a 'k' to differentiate from the art of presti-
digitation, which has it's own group 'alt.magic'. The closeness
in spelling has resulted in some amusing unintentional cross-
postings...
Who is Aleister Crowley? Why should I care?
It is frightening to this humble reader that Aleister Crowley
(Uncle Al, the Beast 666, and various other terms of endearment)
has written the most readable and concise magickal theory texts
produced in the past couple centuries. This is frightening largely
because they are as obscure as hell, the style is usually atrocious,
and his assumptions about the background of his readership are vast.
Magic_Without_Tears is a good starting place for the neophyte.
Magic_in_Theory_and_Practice is a good starting place for someone
who thinks they might already have a little background. The general
"school" of Crowley's style of magick is referred to as Thelema,
a word which means "Will" in Greek. Those who study this canon
are referred to properly as Thelemites, and improperly as Crowley-
ites (much as it is not proper to refer to Moslems as Mohammedans).
Me, I'm not a fan, I just read the stuff...
In this group, there seem to be a preponderance of Thelema-literates
who submit to the group, therefore you will often find Thelemite
vocabulary used as the lingua franca.
It is probably a prereq to about a quarter of the discussions in
this group to understand Crowley's technical meaning of the term
Will, and the terms Love, Law, and a general literacy couldn't hurt.
What's a good beginning reading list for a person interested in magick?
NON-FICTION:
Magick Without Tears Aleister Crowley
Angel Tech Antero Alli (sp?)
Real Magick Isaac Bonewitz
The Golden Bough J. G. Frazer
The Prince Niccolo Machiavelli
The Politics Aristotle
The Book of Five Rings Miyamoto Musashi
The Art of War Sun Tzu
FICTION:
works Robert Anton Wilson
works Robert Shea
works Dion Fortune
What's a good beginning reading list for a person interested in mysticism?
A Sociable God Ken Wilbur
The Sacred and the Profane Mircea Eliade
A History of Religious Ideas Mircea Eliade
Volume 1 especially
follow topics of interest from the bibliographies of these books...
Why is this group so pagan hostile?
This group was partially formed to foment discussion of magickal
theory and practice outside of the alt.pagan flamefest. Therefore
you will find a lot of people who, when they see pagan terminology,
immediately try to kill it before it grows. (They've gotten better
over the months, but still flare up sometimes.) In addition, there
is a great debate over whether pagan practice is a modern invention,
or an ageless traditional religion WHICH DISCUSSION DOES NOT BELONG
IN THIS GROUP, which causes many Crowley fans to dismiss all pagans
as dupes of Gardener and Crowley. If you want to comment on this,
send me email. I am a very active pagan, and I'd rather read this
list than alt.pagan because of the higher signal-to-noise ratio
(despite our occasional lapses...).
What about Satanism?
Some of the posters of this group are self-identified Satanists.
This group does not ascribe to any particular religious philosophy,
and we try not to make assumptions about other folk's. Do not
assume that a Satanist is: evil; has anything to do with christi-
an ideas of Satan; subject to flamage sheerly for his/her religious
beliefs. This topic has been thrashed to death, and belongs else-
where. If you can't be religiously tolerant, please go elsewhere.
If this is PC, the PC stands for Peaceful Coexistance. For more
info, consult alt.satanism.
How can I put together a surefire aphrodisiac?
One that works for me: Insure a perfectly clean and neat working
environment. Bathe. Burn a little incense, but nothing too strong.
Artificial light is a real no-no: go for candles, and light from
the fireplace. Soft, rhythmical music is a real plus. Inscribe
a circle in the air around the bed, and spread an altar cloth
thereon. Furnish the altar with champagne (representing air-
in-water), and a couple cherry-chocolate truffles (representing
earth-encompassing-fire). Dress in comfortable, but form-flattering
garb. Introduce the subject to the altar area, and share with him/
her the altar furnishings. If the aspects are good, your heart is
clear, and there is any hope at all, it'll work.
This is not a recipe exchange club. You are highly unlikely to
find spells or specific procedures described, except as subjective
reports. Generally, we are interested in (self-)transformative
magicks, not sorcery, spells, or D&D style handwaving.
A dear friend also recommends flower magick. I am unsure of this
concept, and invite him to empirically experiment on me.
Is there a formal order associated with alt.magick?
No, but there is a lot of informal disorder (Hail Eris!) The
eloquent Rev. J. B. Bell has posted:
> That's right--this humble reporter has discovered that alt.magick is
> in fact the real and true descendant of the original Knights Templar,
> and even the Enlightened Ones of the Lost Continent of Mu before them.
> Amazingly, it hides where its persecutors will least suspect
> it--*right out in the open*.
>
> Just look at these obvious indicators:
>
> 1. A system of initiation--newbies are subjected to
> mind-cleansing rituals, known as "flaming".
>
> 2. All comers are accepted after initiation, just as in the
> Eleusinian and many other Mysteries, regardless of social class. The
> only criteria are a willingness to learn and basic composition skills.
>
> 3. All are free to Post as they Will. Those posting What They
> Want may get flamed though. Eventually, this reciprocative process
> leads to Enlightenment.
>
> While there is no official ranking, it is obvious that there are
> Secret Masters at work here.
>
> Well that's about enough of that,
>
> --Rev. J. B. Bell
Are there stylistic guidelines?
Add a few books on General Semantics to your reading list, and also
Strunk & White, and the guide to using your favorite news editor.
We do pretty well with bad spellers, and poor grammarians, but there
is no excuse for folks who can't learn how to use their word wrap
options in their editor. It really makes it hard to read your post
or to include quotes to reply. Please hit the return key at the
end of each line, if you can't learn how to use the word wrap. We
thank you! Hope to see you on the net!
Shava Nerad Averett
shava@gibbs.oit.unc.edu
/* muffled gaffaws resound as Shava contemplates how much most of UNC would
disclaim most of what she's written for this list... */
--
/* all materials (c)1992, Shava Nerad Averett, and have nothing significant
to do with the University of North Carolina, a mostly owned subsidiary
of the NC Legislature, a mostly owned subsidiary of the DOT. */